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May 12, 2011
PC

Windows 7 themes: Spring brings a new crop to your desktop!



Yes, spring is finally coming to the northern hemisphere… although those of you who live in the Pacific Northwest of the United States like I do may have your doubts about this! I know I was starting to feel that spring might never arrive, but we finally had a few days in a row without rain, and were at last able to mow the soggy lawn.

So, in celebration of springtime—my favorite time of year—the Small World theme brings into focus the miniscule but lovely and busy realm of blossoming buds, unfurling leaves, and foraging bees. Don’t worry—these pollen-rich flowers can be enjoyed without any risk of hay fever.

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The Diffusion theme showcases a completely different kind of bloom—the swirling expansion of ink and paint in water, dissolving into dreamy abstract shapes.

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For diversity, we also recently released a Windows 7 theme featuring some of the fascinating species of the Galapagos, including giant tortoises, iguanas, crabs, sea lions, blue-footed boobies, and more.

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Spring also heralds the relaunch of the extremely popular Bing Dynamic RSS theme. We initially released it last year as a three-month pilot to assess the performance of an RSS-fed theme, and I am thrilled that we are now able to resume adding two new Bing images to the feed every week. As of this writing the feed contains almost 50 images, making this by far our largest theme—and it will just keep on growing!

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Incidentally, when you first apply an RSS theme to your desktop, you’ll be asked if you want to subscribe to the RSS feed, and you do need to click Download Attachments in order for the theme to work.

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The first time you apply the theme you may notice that your desktop stays black for about 30 seconds before the first image appears. This is normal, as the images are not actually downloaded to your PC until after you click Download Attachments. For more information about using RSS-fed themes, see RSS-fed dynamic themes: frequently asked questions.

What’s coming up in May and June? More movie themes, more game themes, some stunning futuristic space artwork, a manga-style theme, at least one new wildlife theme, and much more. So as always, keep checking back on the Windows Personalization Gallery for the latest Windows 7 themes, gadgets, and wallpapers.